Dream Big: Read!

Our Summer Reading Program has taken off like a rocket! Our theme this year is Dream Big: Read! -- a fun theme with many interpretations. Sometimes, you might want to read simply to escape into a dream world for a while. And, of course, your librarians will tell you that the ability to read gives you the ability to achieve your dreams, for learning to read enables you to read to learn. We are unabashed advocates of the notion that knowledge is power. Learning about something, learning how to do something can inspire and empower you to act, to do, to become!

I discovered two picture books about real people that beautifully embody our Dream Big theme. Recommended for ages 5 and up:

Long Shot : Never Too Small to Dream Big, about NBA All-Star Chris Paul. The story describes Chris' fears that he would not be chosen for the basketball team at his school because he was shorter than most of the other kids. But with the support and encouragement of his family, he persisted, and was ultimately selected for one of the guard positions. He went on to play NBA Ball with the New Orleans Hornets, took home a gold medal with the 2008 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team, and currently plays with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Dream Something Big: The Story of the Watts Towers tells the tale of an Italian immigrant who designed and constructed 100-foot tall towers and decorated them with shells, rocks and other tiny pieces of found art objects. The towers are now a U.S. National Landmark in Watts, California. The book concludes with a suggestion for how to create your own Watts Tower out of pipe cleaners, magazine clippings, and various beads and buttons.

We hope you'll encourage your children to Dream Big: Read! this summer. You can sign up for the Summer Reading Program any time the library is open (or sign up online). Our reading game always gets children reading for fun, and this year they can learn about big buildings and monuments when they come in to the library for the Weekly Challenge activity, and the Computer Questions, our online trivia game, features big things in our world, or people who had big dreams.